(Full disclosure: Park Hyatt and American Airlines, sponsors of the Masters of Food & Wine Event, comped my airfare, hotel, and admission to the events) After the long rush hour drive to Orlando, I made it there at around 7PM for my 8:55PM flight. Since I had to park my car I checked out aboutairportparking.com,…
Share your questions, experiences, and thoughts below.
@Bill - All of his TRs are broken down into different parts. Don't you see this?
"Masters of Food & Wine, Day 1: American Airlines Cocktail Reception
Masters of Food & Wine, Day 2: La Alboroza, Zuccardi Winery, Trapiche Winery
Masters of Food & Wine, Day 3: Catena Zapata, Rutini Wines, Terrazas de los Andes"
Be patient...
Lots of airports outside the US have duty free shops you can use upon arrival.
The trailer park parking lot was oh so Florida. (remember, I had a "lost year" in Bradenton FL and used to fly out of TPA, before you were on FT. That was the year that Ted came to TPA and in the end we were flying TED between TPA and DEN)
-David
Good review though way too long and unnecessarily so.
Some of the details obviously aren't necessary and don't add anything useful or value-added (manner in which they served soup, picture of nuts, weird woman next to you, etc.). But, whatever floats your boat, I guess. Certainly you are aware that exclusion of these utterly irrelevant details would make the review easier to navigate and quicker to read, no?
Having said that, I was relieved when I saw they had lime for your soda. Oh how I just love soda pictures. The bubbles and all.... 😉
Mark -
It's not a review - it's a trip report. May seem like a distinction without a difference but its not. This is also a blog, not a review site per se.
See any of Lucky's dozens of previous trip reports for other examples
Also not sure why you feel the need to use public comments for critique - if you feel so strongly about it try private email - it's more polite. The address isn't hard to find if you look.
[i]For those of you that are nut nuts like me, American has a pretty good nut mix. The mix seems to differ from United’s in that there are more almonds, they have pistachios, and they don’t have macadamia nuts.[/i]
I'm surprised at this comparison. What UA nuts are you eating? It's been at least a year since they've had macadamias. Sometimes the ramekin is mostly filled with almonds, which are my least favorite. 🙁
Also, please don't listen to mark. The minute details are exactly what keep many of us coming back! HIGHLY detailed TRs, please! 🙂
The trip reports are just the right length for me. I'm not always looking just for quick actionable information about which airline to use. Sometimes I also want an escape and some information to make my future trip ideas more vivid.
So what was the answer to the fill in the blank about American's business class?
Absolutely NOT too long. More details the better & very useful for future planning. I don't read your blog just for entertainment (although there is plenty there--especially some of the situations you find yourself in).
As Gary said:
So what was the answer to the fill in the blank about American’s business class?
I hate to admit it, but this has been DRIVING ME CRAZY IN ANTICIPATION FOR WEEKS! What's the friggin answer LOL??!!!
Great trip report. Really enjoy your writing style and of course learning through your excellent understanding of travel.
A dumb question, but as an US passport holder do I need to get a visa before hand ala Brasil for Argentina? Plus keep up the good work you reviews are fun to read.
"There were some duty free shops in the arrivals hall, which I don’t think I’ve ever seen before"
Off the top of my head, the airports in Beirut and Dubai offer these. Most people buy alcohol and tobacco products, since they are cheaper than buying them in the country itself.
Unless something has changed since I was there in 2010, American citizens don't require a visa for Argentina.
F.Y.I. - The $141 paid at EZE is not for a visa (free and good for 90 days) but is a reciprocity charge. We charge Argentines that amount just to enter the U.S.
Ben,
How is it that you have a German passport? Advantages? Problems?
Appreciated the captioning of the UACO 764 as "Continental" despite the UA titles. I don't think you had the same motive, but I'm not going to accept that ridiculous clip art globe as a symbol for UA until I absolutely have to....
You mention the English/Spanish explanation on all American flights, but I can confirm that I have not heard the Spanish safety explanation on many flights in and out of DFW in the last three months (CHI, LAX, etc) . Just a note... not sure what the standard policy is...
“There were some duty free shops in the arrivals hall, which I don’t think I’ve ever seen before”
While not the in arrivals hall, SYD has duty free shops that you pass through on your way to customs.
Thanks for the feedback, folks!
@ Gary -- Should have mentioned that, sorry. Blank would have been "surprisingly good."
@ Zak -- LOL! Sorry if I caused you any sleep loss.
@ BostonFlyer -- Nope, you just have to pay the fee upon arrival, unlike Brazil.
@ senorric -- You're right, my mistake. Nowadays "visa" and "taking your money upon arrival" are one in the same for me. I have a German passport because both of my parents are from Germany. Never have any problems, just advantages. It saves me a ton of money (and time) with visas. For example, with a German passport you don't need a visa for Brazil.
@ Katie -- Interesting. Now that I think about it, just about all of my AA flights have been into and out of MIA, even if domestic. Maybe it's just on flights in and out of Miami?
Nice report Lucky.
Cannot help but wonder if, somewhere out there in the interwebs, is a trip report from a woman that starts:
"My recent trip to EZE was fine on AA in J but I did encounter a rather strange seat opponent. He wasn't very talkative and he took pictures of EVERYTHING. I mean EVERYTHING, including disassembling the amenity kit, ..........."
😉
Keep 'em coming señor !!
It took us 45 minutes to get the Bose headsets on BCN/JFK. I was really angry about that.
Great review. Ive only flown AA in First to Brazil a couple of times, but your review of J really surprised me a lot. Maybe AA should comp you, given that a few people (myself included) just might try out their latest product without fear....cause their promotional pics of J make Y look equally as attractive...hah!
Ive often wondered about the Duty Free stores upon arrival at EZE, but I guess it works, or they would not still have it. It is odd....maybe a South American thing, since Ive noticed this at GRU a few years back as well.
Nice little review. I have to say though, I have the feeling that I hope I NEVER have to fly AA anywhere, domestic or interenational. Nothing about any of it seems appealing or acceptable.
Is that bad to say?
Yes, Tivoboy, it is bad to say. Only fools lump everything into black and white. There are some things AA sucks at, but at the same time...
American has the best domestic meals in first class, and the widest availability of powerports (by far) on any US airline. They're among the best at mile redemption, and at the same time they've been running a crazy amount of mile promos these days. In fact, I'm going to Ecuador with my wife in August because I signed up for their Citicard offer.
Ignore some of the comments. One would think you were at school.
Enjoyed it. As to the ice cream I am not a fan. They should offer a choice.
Thanks for the report. Am actually going thru MIA en route to South America next week! Spent a month in Mendoza last year...looking forward to reading of your experience of it!
....and just caught that you're going onward to MDZ on Aerlineas? Previous experiences w/ Aerloineas are all over the frustration map...Would have thought they would have put you on LAN.
I've used that Park 'n Ride by MCO several times. Yes, it looks like a trailer park. But I've never had any issues with them (beyond sometimes taking a while to pick people up from the airport) and the price beats out pretty much everyone else in the market. Plus, they have a frequent parker program (park so many days, get a free day). I join in the chorus of recommendations. As long as you just want a parking space and not a pretty place, it's the place to go for parking.
Very thorough and informative review. I found the J seats on AA's 777's to be quite comfortable. The 767 on the other hand, seemed confining. Aside from obviously being smaller, there are fewer entertainment choices. All in all, it's not a bad product....just could be better.
wow! I'd be going nuts if I had to suffer through any travel experience with the likes of someone like you.
Perhaps, it is due to people like you, ( and TSA), that for the past two years, I pay the extreme extra bucks, to be a member of a private jet charter service. Quality and privacy like none other. If I couldn't afford it, i'd stop traveling permanently! That is how badly travel critics, travel reporters, annoy me!
You mentioned that some of your group hired a van to get to AEP from EZE. What's the best/cheapest way you would recommend for an EZE-AEP transfer?
The only way I could be sure is to have the money for a car wash or something and